RED WARNING IS EXPECTED

A RED weather warning is expected to be issued in the coming days.

Yesterday (Tuesday) Joanna Donnelly of Met Eireann said that the weather is ‘deteriorating’ with blizzard-like conditions to come.

Ms Donnelly said a Status Red warning issued before the end of the week, but the forecasting team ‘ have to wait until we have all of the best evidence in front of us’.

‘ The weather is deteriorating so it is going to get bad,’ Ms Donnelly said, adding that the blizzard conditions are ‘not for playing in’.

Ms Donnelly said snow showers currently on the east coast are due to become more persistent and more widespread.

Wicklow is currently preparing for Storm Emma which is expected to bring ‘real feel temperatures’ of minus 10 and blizzard-like conditions to the country.

‘ The showers are coming’, said Ms Donnelly. ‘ They are on the east coast at the moment. “They are intermittent. They are becoming more persistent and widespread. And it’s going to get worse.

‘ There will be more warnings issued, there will be a red warning issued but we have to wait until we have all of the best evidence in front of us.’

Ms Donnelly went on to say that she didn’t expect the country to grind to a halt because of the storm saying that the country is well prepared for the exceptional weather.

‘We’re very well prepared. This isn’t side-swiping us and it won’t last forever. There is no real need to clear out the shelves in the supermarket, unless you want to.’

Ms Donnelly said temperatures are currently on a ‘steady decline’ and the country can expect temperatures to drop to minus five and minus six overnight.

She said that as temperatures continue to drop and winds pick up ‘it will have a real feel of about minus 10’.

She said: ‘ Thursday night will have blizzard and we’re not used to blizzard conditions. The recent memory of 2010, that wasn’t blizzard conditions. That was a prolonged spell of cold, it wasn’t blizzard conditions.’

Meanwhile, the National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) is set to decide whether schools will be closed as ‘Storm Emma’ hits Ireland.

Chairman of the NECG Sean Hogan said all the signs from weather experts is that Storm Emma will hit on Thursday.

He said householders should be braced for an ‘exceptional event’ but every effort will be made ‘ to keep the country moving’.

Yesterday the Department of Education said that they will continue to monitor the situation ahead of what Met Éireann describe as ‘significant snowfall’.

Mr Hogan said that some direction may be given to employers in the coming days as to whether they should close their businesses – but this is not yet clear.

‘It’s not a simple matter,’ he said, adding that essential services would have to stay in operation.

Meanwhile in Wicklow town Conway Port is giving away free salt to people to help reduce the risk of icy conditions. Yesterday in Facebook post the company said: ‘We have a limited supply of gritting salt (approx eight tonnes) that we are giving away for free. We ask that you only take what you need for yourself and those in need who you can help. It’s not to be taken for profit or resale please. Salt will be available outside our office. Bring a shovel, bags or bins to load yourself. Any donations to the lifeboat would be appreciated.’